Gyroscopic vacuum engine



Oct. 18, 1966 H. J. LEASURE 3,279,444

GYROSCOPI C VACUUM ENGINE Filed March 8, 1963 United States Patent HenryThis invention relates to a crankcase vacuum-making device, and moreparticularly to an improvement for use with an engine having movableparts, including a vacuum case enclosing the moving parts and avacuum-making device for removing the air, dust and waste fluids fromthe vacuum case.

The primary objects of this invention are to put all the moving parts towork in a vacuum; to avoid the useless beating of air, metal, oil,fumes, gases and other fluids; to prevent the useless wear and tea-r onmoving parts that all retarding fluids and matter cause when flowingaround the working parts of the machines; to reduce the cost ofinvestment and operation; and to provide means for eliminating at leasta substantial amount of the friction that is created in a crankcase.

In general, this invention comprises a vacuum-producing device inside anairtight case or pan, or other container, placed around the moving partsof an engine or machine, such as an internal combustion engine, incombination with a second vacuum-producing device and cleaner arrangedoutside the engine case, e.g., crankcase. The vacuum-producing devicesare cleaners in the sense that they draw the dust, air, oil, fumes andother fluids from the case to prolong the life of the engine, accomplishnew smoothness, quietness and ease of operation, avoid wear and tear onmoving parts, and increase the power, speed and efliciency of theengine. More specifically, when used in an internal combustion engine,this invention comprises an airtight pan around the moving parts, i.e.,crankcase, which contains a fan, a geared pump, a meshed lobe blower, apaddle wheel blower, and a piston and cylinder pump, all arranged totake power from the engine and expel the air, fumes, etc., from the panto the atmosphere, vacuum device or cleaner when the engine is working.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent fromthe following detailed description takent in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevational view of an internal combustionengine including vacuum-producing devices arranged in accordance withthis invention;

FIGURE 2 is a frontal view of FIGURE 1 illustrating the exhaustvacuum-producing device;

FIGURE 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating one of thevacuum-producing devices of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating another of thevacuum-producing devices of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating even another ofthe vacuum-producing devices of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, and representing briefly allkinds of engines, FIGURE 1 schematically illustrates a cylinder-pistonassembly, generally designated by numeral 10, in an internal combustionengine, arranged to be actuated in a conventional manner by combustionof a fuel .in chamber A by means (not shown) and to provide the drivingforce for crankshaft 12 through the connecting rod 14 which joins thepiston 16 in cylinder 18 to the crank 20 on crankshaft 12. Crankshaft 12is surrounded by crankcase 22 which is designed to seal the crankshaft12 and assembly from the atmosphere outside the engine, and cooperatewith the devices of this invention in maintaining a vacuum aroundassembly 10.

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The devices for maintaining a vacuum in accordance with this inventionare connected to and operated by crankshaft 12 and include a pair offans 24 and 25 arranged in casings 34 and 35, respectively, attached tocrankcase 22 and forming openings B and C. Fans 24 and 25 are driven bygears 26 and 27 mounted on their respective axles 28 and 29 and gears 26and 27 are driven by gear wheel 30 which is attached to crankshaft 12,e.g., by a lock and key. The fan axles 28 and 29 are supported incasings 34 and 35, i.e., openings B and C, by mounts 32 and 33,respectively. The three lobe wheel blowers driven by crankshaft 12include a driving wheel 36 attached to an axle 38, and a driven Wheel 37supported in journals (not shown) in casing 39 and 40. Air is drawn intothe lobed wheel blower through opening 41 in the casing and expelledthrough passage 42. A paddle wheel fan, shown as including two paddles43, is also supported on axle 38. Casing 45 which encloses paddles 43includes inlets 44 and outlets 46 for removal of air from crankcase 22through channels 47 to channel 69. Axle 38 is driven from the crankshaft12 by sprocket wheel 48 which is attached thereto and chain 49 which isdriven by sprocket wheel 50. Sprocket wheel 51) is attached to anddriven by crankshaft 12.

A gear wheel pump formed by intermeshed gear wheels 52 and 53 is alsoarranged in crankcase 22 and driven from crankshaft 12. The gear wheels52 and 53 are supported in journals (not shown), respectively, in frames54 and 55. The larger gear wheel 52 is driven by pulley 58 locked tocrankshaft 12 and belt 57 which drives pulley 56 attached to the axle ofwheel 52. Air is drawn into the gear wheel pump through opening 59 incasing 54 and expelled through passage 60. The piston-cylinder pumpassembly, generally designated as 62, is also connected by .rod 67 tocrankshaft 12 by crank 68 so as to be driven thereby and remove air fromcrankcase 22. Air is sucked into the cylinder 63 of the assembly throughvalve 64 and expelled by piston 65 through valve 66. The various vacuumproducing devices described are not intended to be exclusive .in nature,form, shape, size or arrangement since a device that will make a vacuumaround the working parts of an engine, as schematically shown bypiston-cylinder assembly 10, may be considered a vacuum-making devicewithin the spirit and scope of this invention. Also, one or more of theillustrated and described vacuum-making devices may be omitted withinthe scope of the invention.

In operation, the apparatus functions to expel or draw out the gases andother fluids from the crankcase. Power is supplied to the individualvacuum-producing devices by, for example, combustion of a fuel inpiston-cylinder assembly 10 although the cylinder can be converted touse other pressure fluids such as water. Air can be supplied to, andcombustion gases removed from, the internal combustion cylinder chamberA in a conventional manner through valves 17 and 19, respectively. Platemeans 21 .is arranged in engine block head 61 to support the valves forpiston-cylinder assemblies 16 and 62. The two fans 24 and 25 draw gasesand dust from the crank case 22 through openings B and C. The lobedwheel blower which includes wheels 36 and 37 with three lobes each, inrevolving, draws gases up from crankcase 22 and forces the gases throughpassage 42 into the channel 69 (see FIGURES 1 and 3), formed incrankcase 22 by plate means 23. The gases to be expelled from thecrankcase pass through channel 69. The arrows in the drawing show thecourse taken by the air. Paddle wheel fan depicted in FIGURE 4 with twovanes or paddles 43 which revolve inside casing 45 also expel-s air fromthe crankcase 22 into passage 69, i.e., through channel 47. As statedabove, the paddle fan and the lobed wheel blower are driven through asingle axle 38. Revolving snugly in casing 45, the vanes 43 expel anydust or fluid in the case out through apertures 46 and into channels 47leading to channel 69. The arrows in FIGURE 4 show the air flow. Thegear pump which includes two intermeshed toothed Wheels 52 and 53 insidecasings 54 and 55 formfitting with the gear wheels for proper suctiondraws air, or other fluids, in through aperture 59 in the lower edge ofcasing 54 and forces the air into channel 69 through passage 60 as shownby the arrows in FIGURE 5. The revolving wheels 52 and 53 draw fluid inat the bottom of casing 54, carry it around with the wheels and force itout at the top into passage 69. Piston-cylinder assembly 62 sucks air,gases, dust, fluids, fumes and other waste matter out of channel 11 inthrough valve 64 and ex-pels them through valve 66 into channel 69 toprovide added impetus to the flow of fluids in channel 69 where theoutput of all the vacuum-making devices in crankcase 22 is carried tothe atmosphere. Crankshaft 12 is supported in crankcase 22, for example,by journals and supports 70.

What is claimed is:

1. In an internal combustion engine including a cylinder having a pistontherein, a crankshaft actuated by said piston and a crankcase forenclosing said crankshaft and cylinder, a pump means within saidcrankcase arranged to pump gases out of said crankcase, a vacuum pumpcommunicating with the interior of said crankcase, and means to drivesaid pump means and said vacuum pump whereby both cooperate to maintaina vacuum in the crankcase.

2. The engine of claim 1 wherein said vacuum pump is a fan.

3. The engine of claim 2 wherein said pump means is a lobed wheelblower.

4. The engine of claim 2 wherein said pump means is a paddle wheel fan.

5. The engine of claim 2 wherein said pump means is a 'pistomcylinderpump assembly.

6. The engine of claim 2 wherein said pump means is a gear wheel pump.

7. The engine of claim 1 wherein said vacuum pump is a fan, and saidmeans for driving said pump means and said vacuum pump is saidcrankshaft.

8. The engine of claim 7 wherein said pump means includes at least oneof a lobed wheel blower, a paddle wheel fan, a piston-cylinder pumpassembly and a gear wheel pump.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,734,487 2/1956Brainerd l23-41.86 X 3,137,124 6/1964 Borchers l234l.86 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 118,532 1/1927 Switzerland.

MARK NEWMAN, Primtiry Examiner.

KARL I. ALBRECHT, Examiner.

1. IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INCLUDING A CYLINDER HAVING A PISTONTHEREIN, A CRANKSHAFT ACTUATED BY SAID PISTON AND A CRANKCASE FROENCLOSING SAID CRANKSHAFT AND CYLINDER, A PUMP MEANS WITHIN SAIDCRANKCASE ARRANGED TO PUMP GASES OUT OF SAID CRANKCASE, A VACUUM PUMPCOMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID CRANKCASE, AND MEANS TO DRIVESAID PUMP MEANS AND SAID VACUUM PUMP WHEREBY BOTH COOPERATE TO MAINTAINA VACUUM IN THE CRANKCASE.